


Shifter

by lilyvanm



Category: Cacw - Fandom, Captain America (Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Reader Has Powers, reader is raised by avengers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-08
Updated: 2018-06-30
Packaged: 2018-09-15 19:35:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 19,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9252707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilyvanm/pseuds/lilyvanm
Summary: Reader, as a child, was kidnapped and used as one of HYDRA’s experiments. These painful tests left her with the power to shift into other people, but also made her seriously ill. When 'Civil War' starts to happen, the team decide the reader's condition is too important, and they skip the battle entirely - instead, opting to send the reader away with the newest, youngest member of the team. So how will she react to living in a brand new city, with a boy she has a crush on, and have to go through High School?





	1. Nightmares.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> work is currently undergoing edits and rewrites! see chapter 12 for more information!

A concrete cell with a thin, barely-there window, at the end of a dark hallway, behind a thick steel door guarded by highly trained soldiers and locked with a high-tech keypad. Your eyes widen to adjust to the low lighting, taking in the dark corners of the cold and suffocating room as your heart begins to beat erratically. This couldn't be possible - this cell had been your room almost four years ago before S.H.I.E.L.D. had stormed the H.Y.D.R.A. facility and rescued you. This isn't real, you aren't there, this has to be a dream. You rock back and forth, your arms wrapped protectively around your knees as you squeeze your eyes tight and try to picture your room at the Avengers base.

"This isn't real, I'm safe, they can't get to me..." You mutter to yourself, repeating the mantra you'd been taught to break yourself out of your nightmares.

You know when it's worked because your mouth tears open in a gasp as your body sits up, your heartbeat pounding against your ribcage as you force yourself to adjust to the dark room -  _your_ dark room, with  _your_ things and without any soldiers or doctors or scientists. Your bedroom, even in the low early-morning light, forces your heart rate to slow down, a feeling of safety enveloping you and replacing the panic that had seized your veins moments prior. Your sheets are strewn around, half on the floor and half wrapped around your legs as evidence of the nightmare. Kicking the rest of the sheets away, you allow the cool night air to wash over your body without a barrier, helping you wake up fully and register the difference between the nightmare and reality. Reaching across to your nightstand, your fingertips flick your lamp on, and in the stark orange light, you realize what feels so different.

Your hands are different, with more slender fingers and manicured nails. Your eyes drag up your hands and across your arms, taking in the difference before you finally push yourself off the bed and stand in front of the mirror. The face that greets you is the face of your mother from your one and only photograph of her. Your hair is the same as hers, suddenly adorned in the same makeup and jewelry from the image. Reaching down to your nightstand you lift up the picture frame containing the old photograph. Your mom is smiling, an arm slung around your father and there's scribbled text along the bottom edge of the image - _'Nick, we wish you were here!'_

You smile and force yourself to shift back, glancing in the reflective silver border of the frame to make sure your face and hair looks the same before you place the frame back on the nightstand and let yourself sit back down. This is not the first time a nightmare has stressed you out to the point of shifting - the very first time it had happened was a month after you'd been brought to the base, and in your nightmare-fueled panic you'd turned into Natasha. Clint, who had been in the room next to you at the time, had burst and in subsequently screamed at the sight of Natasha sat in your bed and your pajamas screaming at him. Your grasp on your powers, although better than before, is still limited and in your sleep, you lose all control over them.

"Miss Y/N, shall I alert Mr. Stark of your condition?" FRIDAY's voice comes on over the comms and you startle slightly, still not used to the A.I. being everpresent in every room. 

"No, I'm fine, thank you FRIDAY." You say, before tilting your head and adding, "Is anyone else awake?"

There's a pause when you know the A.I. is scanning the rooms for activity before her voice comes on again. "Mr. Rogers is awake and in the gym. Would you like me to call him for you?" She asks, and you shake your head before realizing she can't see you.

"No, FRIDAY, that'll be all, thank you." When there's no reply, you slide your feet into your slippers, slipping on a hoodie before padding out into the empty hallway, smiling in appreciation when the lights turn on as they recognize movement. The use of movement activated lights in the communal areas has always comforted you, allowing you safe spaces to retreat to when your nightmares get too bad. The constant darkness of your old cell had instilled a fear of the dark that you can't shake no matter how hard you remind yourself of your security in the Avengers base.

The elevator at the end of the hallway slides open without you having to press a button or anything - Stark Technology still amazes you - and you state your name and floor level before it smoothly begins to go down. The doors open with a ding, and before your feet have even stepped out of the elevator you can hear the repetitive  _thump_ sounds of Steve beating the punching bag. You sit on one of the benches a little bit away from him, turning away and facing the other side of the gym to give him his privacy. There's a final, definitive  _thump_ and then the sound of the seams splitting and the sand spilling out as the bag hits the wall on the other side of the gym. You glance back in time to see him turning towards you, unwrapping the tape around his knuckles as he walks over to you.

"Hey." You greet as he sits next to you, pulling a towel over his shoulders and wiping his forehead.

"What's wrong? Another nightmare?" Steve asks, his brow tugged down over concerned blue eyes as you nod. "You okay?" His voice is soft and gentle, constantly on dad-mode when around you.

"I think so. I just-" You stop, staring at your hands where you fiddle with the edges of your sleeves. "I changed into my mom for the first time. Her picture, at least." 

He sits still for a moment, pondering your words as you look up at him. "You must have been thinking about her, then. Was your dream about her?" You shake your head, and his brow furrows even more. "It was the same nightmare as usual, then." 

You nod. "I'm okay, though, I really am. I tried the, uh, mantra thing that Dr. Cho was telling me about. Broke me out before..." You trail off, not wanting to illustrate what normally happens in the nightmares and bring it all back into the front of your mind.

"That's good - that's really good, Y/N. If you can break yourself out of it before- well, you know, maybe you can begin to move on." Steve puts a hand on your shoulder, squeezing slightly as you give him a small smile. Next thing you know his arm is slung around you and you squeal, standing up quickly. 

"God, Steve, you smell gross and you're super sweaty." You exclaim, shuddering theatrically as he laughs. "We can get all touchy-feely when you've  _showered_." You state, offering him a hand to help him stand. Of course, he doesn't need it - he's a super soldier that could lift men twice your size up without breaking a sweat, but he accepts anyways and claps you on the back.

"I'll hold you to that. What time is it, anyway?" He asks, and you glance at the clock above the elevator.

"7:15." 

"Come on, I suppose people will be starting to wake up now - I think Clint bought more of those coffee capsule things you like so much, and I'm pretty sure we have enough eggs if you wanted to-"

He's cut off by FRIDAY's voice coming in over the loudspeaker. "Sorry for the intrusion, Captain, but Mr. Stark is requesting both of your presences. He says that we are to be expecting a 'General Ross', sir." 

Steve's jaw clenches as FRIDAY cuts off, and you look up at him. "What does Ross want?" You ask, and he frowns, shaking his head.

"Let's go find out."

 

* * *

 

Sat in the conference room, surrounded by the people you consider a family, you begin to chew anxiously on your thumbnail as General Ross speaks about Sokovia and Washington D.C. With each sentence, the tension in the room grows and you become angrier, but you don't let it show. No, you sit in the corner and wait for him to finish. As the youngest Avenger, you have no standing in the relations with the government, and you respect that. 

"...And I see that Miss Y/L/N has still never been used in combat." Ross says, causing you to snap your head up and look at him. Steve tenses next to you, placing a hand on your arm and leaning forwards, subconsciously shielding you slightly from the General. Tony also looks at you, eyes narrowed as if reassuring you and also checking in on you, before calmly turning back to General Ross.

"And?" Tony asks, eyebrow raised. 

"And?" Ross echoes, glancing between Steve and Tony who sit on either side of you. "Gentlemen, I'm aware of the somewhat paternal bond you've formed over her-" You bristle as he refers to you in the third person. "But she is still a powered individual, a member of this team, and yet she has never been used. We still don't know the extent of her abilities. The tests that were done when she was first brought in - tests that were done by you, Stark, in case you'd forgotten -showed signs of advanced abilities and even-"

"That's enough." Steve cuts in, his head snapping up from looking at his lap to stare the General dead in the eyes. " _Y/N's_  right here, and she's not ready for the field. End of discussion." 

Ross scoffs. "Mr. Rogers, I'm aware of your status as an icon but you do not hold the highest jurisdiction here. The Avengers are under the U.S. Government's jurisdiction, and as the Secretary of State, that means you report to me."

You watch as Tony smiles falsely, leaning forwards as well. "Last time I checked we weren't under anyone's jurisdiction, Mr. Secretary."

"That's because you haven't checked since this was put together." Ross says, dropping a thick book onto the table and poking the front with his finger. "The Sokovia Accords." 

Wanda picks up the book, casting a glance back at Steve before passing the book to Rhodey.

"For the past four years, you've operated with unlimited power and no supervision. That's an arrangement the governments of the world can no longer tolerate. This is the solution." Ross pauses, smugness plastered over his face. "Approved by 117 countries, it states that the Avengers shall no longer be a private organization. Instead, they'll operate under the supervision of a United Nations panel, only when and if that panel deems it necessary."

"So, what - we become a private army?" You question, but Steve sends you a warning look and you lean back into your chair.

"Tell me, Miss Y/L/N, what organization saved you from that H.Y.D.R.A. base?" Ross questions, and you glance uneasily at Tony. 

"S.H.I.E.L.D." You answer. 

"Correct. Now, since S.H.I.E.L.D. was a corrupt organization and is now gone, do you know who gained the assets and information that they once held?" 

"Uh... The Government?" You guess, and he smiles triumphantly. 

"And when you were rescued, do you remember what you were classified as while at H.Y.D.R.A.?" 

You wince at his wording but nod. "I was an asset- and, uh, a weapon." 

"Right," Ross says, turning to look at everyone in the room before settling his cold gaze back on you. "And S.H.I.E.L.D. took hold of all assets and weaponry gained while raiding H.Y.D.R.A., and then the Government took hold of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s." 

You furrow your brow. "Okay?"

"Miss Y/L/N, that means that you, as an asset, belong to the U.S. Government." 

His words spark a fury in Steve, who tenses next to you and turns to the General. "Absolutely not." He practically snarls, and you see Tony straighten as if only now taking this seriously."

"Again, Captain Rogers, you don't have the authority in this room. To answer your question, Miss Y/L/N, you are already part of a private army, and you should be grateful that you have not been claimed as such in the past. Three days from now, the U.N. meets in Vienna to ratify the Accords." He pauses, a smile tugging his lips as he takes in the tense positions of every person in the room. "Talk it over."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I added like an entire scene to the end, after re-watching CA:CW.


	2. A New Recruit.

"Rogers-"

"No, Tony, you do not get to just stand there and pretend you didn't hear him  _threatening_ her in there." Steve's barely contained fury carries his voice through the open door of the conference room and out into the hall where you stand, listening in anxiously.

"So what're you gonna do, huh? You're gonna take on the United States Government?" Tony's previously plaintive tone is replaced with a snarky edge, and you can almost picture him stepping closer to Steve with an accusatory look on his face.

"I know you took down H.Y.D.R.A. and respectively, S.H.I.E.L.D., but this is different. I really think they have a point about the Sokovia Accords." Tony lowers his voice at the end and you lean a little closer to the door. 

"So we become lapdogs? When there are crises, like in New York, like in Sokovia, there is no time to sit around and wait for a council to decide whether or not it's worthy of their time to send us. Can you imagine the deaths if we'd had to wait to step in in New York?" There's a thud sound when he says the word 'imagine', and you sneak a glance in to see Steve hunched over the table, palms flat on the surface.

"There were _already_ deaths, Steve. That's the point. So, maybe we lose a little freedom, but we gain rationality." Tony reasons, and you dart back out of sight when he begins to turn towards the door. "Just... think it over. Please." 

You hold your breath as the room goes quiet, suddenly, and a tiny squeal escapes your lips as Tony pops his head out of the door, practically next to your face, and stares at you.

"You can come in, now." He says, rolling his eyes, and you smile sheepishly as you enter the room.

Steve has an expectant expression on his face as he watches you come in, and you sigh, deflating under his paternal glare. "Okay, fine, it's not good to eavesdrop or whatever, but this involves me." You defend.

"You should have asked," Steve states, glancing over at Tony who shrugs. "But you're right. This does involve you." 

It takes a moment for his words to settle in, and when they do, you raise your eyebrows. "What?" 

"You're right," Steve repeats himself. "And you deserve a say. Ross wants to put you in the field." 

You nod, glancing at your feet. "I mean... I do want to learn to fight." You say, and Tony sucks in a breath next to you.

" _There_ it is." Tony says, and you shoot him a glare.

"I just- I feel so  _useless,_ stuck here when you all go out to fight evils and things. I'm not a kid anymore-" 

Tony interjects. "I beg to differ," But you push on.

"And I feel like I could be of help. Ross said something about me having... Further powers, or something. I wanna know what he meant."

"Y/N," Steve says, but when you glance between him and Tony you notice them having an unspoken conversation. 

Tony sighs, stepping towards the door and closing it gently before turning back to you. "When you were first brought in, we had to do certain tests to make sure you were okay, and also see what had happened to you there. Ross believes that your ability to, uh, shift, isn't the only thing they gave you in there." 

You furrow your brow, glancing over at Steve who has a hand over his brow. 

"But _I_ don't believe there's anything else," Tony states with finality. "The test results didn't indicate anything of the sort, and honestly, Ross doesn't know what he's talking about." 

You pause, searching for that tiny pull of your ability in the back of your mind, searching to see if you can find something else. There's something there, something strong, and as you reach for it, you vaguely register Steve's voice saying your name, but the sound is muffled as if underwater. You push harder, feeling like you're onto something, but before you can fully grasp it, a sharp pain explodes in your temple and you black out. 

* * *

 

The steady beeping of the machine monitoring your heartbeat is the only sound that fills the room. Tony stands a few feet away from where you lie, brow furrowed as he stares down the computer screen, typing things and scrolling through pages and pages of data - about your health, you assume. Natasha stands with her head leaning against the door frame, opposite Steve who stands in the empty space of the door and watches your 'sleeping' form. Truth be told, you've been awake for a few minutes, but you don't want to break the silence yet - you know where everyone is because you'd opened your eyes slightly when you'd first woken up to get your bearings. The bed dips on one side, and when you sneak a peak you see Steve sitting next to you.

“How bad is it?” He asks finally, voice stern but slightly shaky. Tony walks over to where you are laying - you can hear his shoes on the linoleum floor - and pauses, sighing.

“I don’t know. One minute she’s fine, the next her levels are off the charts. Her blood pressure dropped - that’s why she fainted - but it’s back to normal now.” He pauses, presses a few buttons, then starts again. “Her heart started to freak out, beating at twice the normal speed; her oxygen levels dropped then raised again, her lungs just stopped - name one thing that could affect her health, and it changed in the last 2 hours. She should be dead, and it’s a miracle she’s not.”

Steve doesn’t say anything, but you feel a hand stretch out and stroke a strand of hair off your face. “Is she okay?” He asks finally, his hand stilling. There’s a pause, the room is quiet, the beeping of your machine the only sound yet again, and then Tony speaks.

“Yes.”

Steve breathes out, but Tony starts again.

“For now. I don’t know what happened, what changed, or if it’s going to happen again. Or if next time it happens she’ll - Or if she’ll stay okay.”

Silence again.

“Tony…” Steve sighs, hand coming down to hold yours. “Keep her safe.” He says, giving your hand a squeeze before he stands up. “Please.” He adds, before turning on his heel and leaving the room. Your eyes open slightly and watch Steve’s back as he walks away, fists clenched. You try to settle into the bed, not think about your condition and sleep. Finally, after what feels like hours, you let yourself drift off.

Tony lets you get out of bed after one whole day of running tests and making sure you’re okay - which you are. He tells F.R.I.D.A.Y. to keep a watch on your heartbeat and vitals, before finally letting you leave the infirmary. Of course, the facility isn’t the same. Since the Sokovian Accords were announced, Steve was nowhere to be found, and Tony isn’t the same - he acts somber like everything is his fault. Of course, you hate to admit it, but if you’d been given the chance you would have gone with Steve. You agree with everything he says, and despite Tony’s valid points, you couldn’t bring yourself to sign the Accords.

Most of your time, kept under surveillance, you spend reading, training, and practicing your powers - which never goes very well, and Tony scolds you every time he catches you, but you try anyway. But the one thing you do the most is keeping up with the news, and it hurts.

Steve went after his old friend Bucky - you can’t blame him for it, but they’ve both been captured as well as Sam, and Tony had to go and stop them. “Captain America behind bars” - that’s what everyone is saying. The bombing of the UN happened while Tony was still at home, but although he tried to hide it from you, you found out anyway.

When you hear of Barnes’ escape you call Tony immediately, panicked over his welfare. He assures you he’s fine and says he’ll be home tomorrow. His voice is shaky, and he sounds like he’s about to make a stupid decision, but you take it as an answer. Just before he hangs up, you can’t help but ask.

“Tony?”

He pauses. “Yeah?”

You swallow thickly. “Is Steve okay?”

A few beats pass, and you feel your chest constrict at the thought of your only father figure being hurt, or worse. “He’s fine - he escaped with Barnes and Sam.” You breathe out, thanking Tony before hanging up.

Unfortunately, with Steve gone your nightmares get progressively worse each night. You try to keep it under wraps - Tony treats you like you’re made of glass and would freak out if he found out you’re ‘unstable’ - but it gets harder and harder as the days pass. Finally, Tony comes back with his ‘mystery guest’. FRIDAY alerts you that they’re coming up the driveway, and you force yourself to act fine - you put on real pants, cover up your dark circles with concealer, and go out to the living area to meet them.

Tony gives you a hug when he sees you - but not before standing at an arm’s length and checking you up and down. When he steps aside, a boy your age steps - well, trips - into the room. “Peter, this is Y/N,” Tony says, before grabbing his briefcase and leaving the room.

You watch him leave and roll your eyes. “Hi,” Peter says, and you smile.

“Hey. Sorry about Tony, he’s a bit absentminded sometimes.” You can tell that Peter is overwhelmed by the place. His eyes widen as you step back, letting him into the hall.

“Welcome to the Avengers Base, I guess.” You say, and his head swivels around as he tries to take it in.

“Woah. This is… This is really cool.” He says, hand clutching his backpack, and you laugh.

“Yeah, it really is.” He blinks, realizing that you’re still there and he hasn’t introduced himself properly.

“I’m Peter. Parker. Peter Parker. Spider-Man?” He stutters over his words and you smile.

“I know. I mean, Tony told me he was bringing you back from New York. I just didn’t expect…” You trail off, and he narrows his eyes. “I didn’t expect you to be almost my age, is all. That’s cool.”

Peter smiles, and you find yourself growing fond of the tiny dimple on the side of his cheek when he smiles. “Come on, I’ll show you your room - you’re probably next to me.” You say, padding away.

Over the next few days, you and Peter get more acquainted in between his “training” sessions and your constant health checks. Of course, if Peter notices that you’re unwell he doesn’t say anything - Tony often calls you into his lab to check your blood or run vitals, but it’s never a long process and Peter is never there when it happens. Of course, one thing you can’t disguise is the constant nightmares. Every night, you wake up sweaty, terrified, and sometimes screaming. Tony insists on putting a beeping heart monitor in your room, saying that if it gets past a certain level it will alert him and send him in.

One night, you find yourself in a memory of your old cell. You’re vaguely aware of your heart monitor speeding up, but you can’t focus as the H.Y.D.R.A. guards come for you again.

“No…” You mumble, watching one of them uncap a syringe. “No, please.” You beg, unable to move as a hand grabs your arm. You flail, terror-stricken until you’re pulled out of it by a stranger’s voice. Jumping back, you shriek slightly as you open your eyes to a dark shape over you. You’re aware of the tingling sensation in your fingertips as you hold your hand up, shifting your hand to look like it’s holding a gun as your other hand fumbles around to turn on the light.

Peter’s dark eyes are wide as they stare at your hand, his large tee shirt hanging loosely on his form and you realize he’s in his pajamas. Your eyes widen in turn and your hand shifts back to normal, dropping to your side. “Shit, Peter, I’m sorry.” You mutter sheepishly, and he gulps before stepping forwards.

“Do you have a gun?” He asks, and you look down at your hand, realizing he doesn’t know of your powers.

“No. Uh, it’s part of my power?” You try to explain, sliding up to the headboard of your bed and sitting upright. “I can shapeshift, kind of.” You mutter, and his face lights up.

“No way.” He says, in awe, and you nod, shifting into him. He laughs, eyes wide, and you realize that no one has ever had that reaction to your powers- you’ve never told anyone. The Avengers knew your power when they rescued you, and they’re the only other people who know.

After a moment, Peter seems to quieten down and he looks at you with concerned eyes. “What were you dreaming about?”

“Oh.” You say, turning back into yourself. “Nothing.” He raises an eyebrow.

“If you don’t wanna talk about it -” he stops abruptly, eyes narrowing. “Y/N, your nose…” You lift your fingertips to your lip, coming away coated in crimson blood. The door bursts open, and as Tony runs in and your eyes flutter closed as you fall back into the bed, the sound of both Tony and Peter screaming your name fill the empty silence of the room.


	3. Remembering.

When you wake up to the distant beeping of the heart monitor, you’re not surprised. You don’t open your eyes. Everything hurts. Your head is pounding. There’s a dull ache in your arm – probably where an IV is hooked into you. Ever so slowly, you open your eyes. A glaring white ceiling meets you, and you realize that you’re not at home – you’re in the hospital. At that, you finally groan and try to sit up, using your willpower to pull yourself into a sitting position. In the corner of the room, there’s a passed out- Wait, is that- “Steve?” You croak, your throat failing you, and his head whips up, blue eyes focusing quickly and darting around the room to look for danger. But when they focus on you, they’re filled with sympathy and pain and he darts out of the chair, coming to stand next to your bed. “Lie down.” He says, softly, gently hands easing you back down. You almost cry, your eyes searching his face. “What happened?” You ask, suddenly nervous. “Where’s Tony?”

He shakes his head, hand steadily keeping you lying down. “He’s fine – he had to do something, he’s back at home.” You nod, slowly, throat tight as you try to remember what happened. Where’s Peter? You find yourself thinking, and as if on cue, the brunet boy stumbles through the door, hair messy and eyes dark with tiredness. “Uh, Cap – Captain? Mr. Stark wants to talk to you – he’s on the phone.” Steve smiles down at you, muttering that he’ll be right back, and strides out the door. You watch him leave, then look over to where Peter is awkwardly standing in the doorframe. “You can sit if you want.” You manage to croak out, not wanting to sound too injured or tired. He smiles, shuffling over to the chair next to your bed, and sits down awkwardly.

“You okay?” He asks, after a moment of silence, and you nod. “Sorry if I freaked you out.” You reply, trying to remember the exact details – you know you passed out, you know your nose was bleeding, but everything after that is dark. Peter just shakes his head, his brown eyes softening. “No, no – I was just worried, I guess.” He says, leaning forwards slightly, but you shrug. “I’m fine now.” He doesn’t look like he entirely believes it, but he lets it slide as you don’t seem all too keen on the subject. He opens his mouth, about to start a new conversation, when Steve opens the door again. 

You smile, eyes brightening when you see him, but your expression fades when you see the pity and urgency in his crystal blue eyes. “We, uh, we need to get back. The nurses have cleared you.” You furrow your brow, worried and confused, but all Steve returns is pity. You shift, stepping out of the bed and graciously accepting the red hoodie that Peter hands you. They walk you out, and take you back to the facility, where most of the team seems anxious for your return – Nat pulls you into a tight hug, muttering something about never doing that again, Clint pats you on the back, and Wanda smiles at you. But the one thing that makes you nervous are the sympathetic looks on all their faces.

“What is it?” You ask, as Tony comes into the room. Tony, the one man who’ll give you a straightforward answer. “We found your file – well, FRIDAY found your file from HYDRA. It was hidden under layers and layers of coding, but we got it.” The silence that fills the room is deafening, and you suddenly feel terrified – flashbacks of your cell fill your mind, and with each memory of the cold walls and dark corners you start to panic even more. What brings you out of it, however, is Peter reassuringly grabbing your hand.

“Um – can I, can I see it?” You ask, unsure, and Tony nods, ushering you over to the screen in the lab. The file is already open, and a page with what look like your mugshots is open with all of your data – stuff you already know, but it still makes your heart beat a bit faster. Your hand moves of its own accord, reaching forwards and tapping the folder on the side labeled “Subject Files”. The first thing that pops up is your birth certificate, and you can feel Peter tense up next to you, making you realize that he has no idea what HYDRA even is, or what you went through. As you scroll, you finally find the section you’re looking for – “Reports and Activity”. You click.

SUBJECT UNSTABLE. POWERS UNKNOWN, DEEMED TOO DANGEROUS FOR FIELD USE. UNSAFE. The red letters stare back at you from the screen, menacing and harsh in every way – so much so that your throat tightens, the walls seeming to close in on you. Unstable. Too dangerous. Unsafe. They are all your worst self-doubts, all your fear and insecurities piled into one file. You find yourself clicking through the other files in the folder – case files, notes, studies on your behaviours. Then there’s a video, only titled ‘Evidence’. You hesitate, scared of what you’ll find, but the curiosity overtakes you and you press play. 

As the video takes over the screen, your heart stops. There, in the center, is you. Strapped to a metal chair, head hanging low. Past You must be under 10 years old, your small frame shaking against your bindings. A group of people walk in, in white lab coats stark against the dark room. One has a clipboard, another has a small tape recorder. One pulls out a syringe and approaches Past You, tugging your head up to face him. Past You looks asleep, or passed out. He starts to inject the syringe when your eyes shoot open, and Past You screams, the sound making everyone shrink back from the screen and the doctors in the video jump back, clutching their ears. Only one doctor stays standing, and he injects the syringe fully into your neck, making Past You shut your eyes and drop your head again, asleep.

The doctor who injected you turns to face the camera, a wicked grin on his face as he wipes the blood coming from his ears away. He writes something on his clipboard, stepping past his still-crouching colleagues. He approaches the camera, taps it, reaches to turn it off. The screen goes dark, and you realize that you are physically shaking. The horrified reflections of the team standing behind you stare back at you, just like those awful words. Unstable, dangerous, unsafe. You understand now. You force yourself to breathe, trying to calm down your erratic heartbeat. “I hurt them…” You mumble, hands coming up to feel the spot on your neck where he’d injected you. 

The team try to console you, sympathetic, before Tony and Steve wave them off so that they can actually help you. “Look, Y/N – What you did in the video wasn’t you, okay? It was them – That serum was controlling you.” Steve says, a strong hand on your shoulder. You smile, nodding, feeling slightly safer now what your Surrogate Dad is here. “Tony found the file. He’s working on a reverse serum right now.” At that you narrow your eyes. “What do you mean – a reverse serum? But I thought I wasn’t being controlled anymore…” At this Steve widens his eyes, turning to Tony for him to explain. 

“Look… Y/N… The serum might still be in effect.” You shake your head slowly at first, throat closing. “Okay – um, when you shift into other people? When you can’t control it? That could be the serum trying to… Control you. But it’s weak, so it can’t fully. Do you understand?” It takes a moment for his words to sink in, but when they do you reach for Peter’s hand again, and he lets you take it. You nod, even though all this new information is messing you up. “So… This reverse serum? It can… Can get rid of everything HYDRA’s done?” Tony nods, a small smile forming on his face. “The reverse serum will target and destroy the current serum in your blood. Now buck up, kiddo – you’re back and you’re safe, that’s what matters.” You smile at his words, and nod, eyes brightening again.

When Tony and Steve head off to do some Avengers work – they won’t tell you exactly what it is, although you suspect it has something to do with the government – you sit in silence with Peter, still holding his hand. Finally, you break the silence. “I’m leaving.” He turns to you, confused, and narrows his eyes. “What?” You clear your throat, hand intertwined with Peter’s starting to pull away to sit in your lap. “I saw the file. Before. They thought I didn’t – They thought I scrolled past too quickly.” Peter still doesn’t understand, and his hurt puppy eyes aren’t helping the nagging guilt. “This serum slowly kills the host if it isn’t renewed. I’m dying.” As you say the words, the words that had only been in your thoughts before, your eyes sting with hot unshed tears.

“I’m dying, and if I stay it will only hurt them more. I have to go, I have to leave, I have to–” You’re cut off by Peter turning to face you fully, his body in front of you. “STOP! Leaving now isn’t going to help, okay? They’re - they’re your family, and they’ll take care of you and protect you. Think about that. Think about how much they all care for you. This about how much I care for you.” As Peter speaks your shaking slows, your cheeks dampening as unshed tears begin to spill over. “I hurt people. I’m a monster. I can’t – I can’t hurt anyone else!” At this point he closes the gap, stepping close to you, and places his hands on your shoulders. “You won’t. You are not a monster – you’re you. You can do this. I believe in you.” You calm down slightly, his voice soothing you. 

“Please. Don’t give in.” He begs, brown eyes staring into yours, and you sigh, wrapping your arms around him and resting your head on his shoulder. “I’m so sorry…” You whisper, grip tightening around him as he hugs you, filling the space formed by panic and fear. “It’s okay. You’re okay.” He mutters, reassuring and strong in your moment of weakness.


	4. Normality.

“What? No, I’m not going to just leave you guys to–” You say, defiantly, but Tony cuts you off. “C’mon, kiddo – We still haven’t dealt with the Accords, and I need to work out the serum. You’d be a lot safer away from here. Just until we’ve figured this out.” You still aren’t entirely okay with the idea, but you know Tony won’t give up on this – he’ll send you away while you’re asleep if he has to. “Fine.” You mutter, short and clipped, and he sighs, leaning back into his chair. “Thank you.” He stands up, about to leave, when you realize something. “Where am I going?” You ask, and he spins around with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Queens.” He says, smirking, before he leaves the room, leaving you alone with a confused look on your face.

Shortly after, you’re sitting in your room, packing, when a quiet knocking on the door makes you turn. Steve pokes his head around the door, his soft smile softening your grudge. “Hey, Y/N.” He says, coming to sit on the bed next to you. You raise your eyebrows at him and he chuckles slightly, slinging an arm around you. “Look – I’m sorry, okay? This isn’t permanent. I just – Look, Buck’s still out there somewhere, we still have the government on our asses, and I need you to be somewhere safe – at least just for the time being.” You nod, understanding, and he gives you a quick squeeze. “That’s my girl.” You smile at your nickname, leaning over to rest you head on his shoulder. “Where am I going?” You ask, and he looks down at you.

“Tony didn’t tell you?” You shake your head, and he chuckles softly again. “You’re going to stay with Parker.” At that your head shoots up, off his shoulder. “What?” Steve has the same cocky grin that Tony did. “The team figured it was time that you got to spend some time around people your age.” Your eyebrows draw together. “People my age suck.” You groan, and he lifts an eyebrow. “How would you know that, huh?” Realizing he’s right, you sigh. “Oh, and you’re going to spend some time at his school.” Steve adds, and your eyes widen. “Steve, no! C’mon.” He laughs, patting you on the back before standing up. “It’ll be a month, tops.” He promises, and you groan, falling back onto your bed. “Why?” You groan, and you can hear Steve laughing as he leaves your room. “The car’s ready when you are!” He calls out, and you throw your pillow at the door, slamming it closed, and you hear both Steve and Tony laugh.

When you finally finish packing, you tote your duffel bag out to the black van waiting to take you and Peter back to his. Steve and Tony are waiting by the car doors, and Peter is already sitting in the back. You hug out your goodbyes, climbing into the car, before you finally pull out of the long drive and onto the road. Peter sits across from you, fiddling with the strings of his hoodie, and you quietly tap your fingers on the windowpane. Finally, he breaks the silence. “This has got to be the nicest car I’ve ever been in.” He says, and your eyes shift from the rapidly moving landscape to his amazed expression as he surveys the gadgets and fancy leather. “It is nice, isn’t it?” You said, small smile on your face as you remember Tony showing you the designs for his cars.

He smiles, nodding, and you open your mouth to tell him something about the design when a large yawn escapes your mouth, causing your eyes to widen and a hand to come up and hover over your face. “Wow. I didn’t expect that.” You say, and Peter laughs. “You can sleep, if you like – I’ll wake you up when we get there.” You go to refuse the offer but when you realize just how tired you are, you nod sheepishly and lean into your seat further, eyes watching the trees fly past the car windows. As you start to doze off, you’re vaguely aware of Peter laying his hoodie over your body and tucking your hair out of your face.

When you wake up again, it’s naturally, and you very slowly open your eyes. When you do, you realize that your head is leaning on Peter’s shoulder and you’re leaning against his torso, your body gently moving as he breathes. His arm is slung over your shoulders, and you can’t help the small smile that forms on your lips as you realize how naturally you two fit together. You breathe in, deeper then normal, and wince when you realize you’ve just alerted Peter that you’re awake. He yawns as well, seeming to have woken up moments before you, and smiles down at you. “Morning, sunshine.” He says, and you smile. He makes a move to shift away, lifting his arm, but you’re quick to reach up and grab it and place it back down. “Can we… Stay like this? Please?” You ask, and he nods, a smile forming on his face as well.

A few moments pass, in silence, and you realize something. “Peter?” You ask, and he looks down at you. “Yeah?” You take a second, and then ask, “Did I – did I look like someone else when I woke up?” He pauses, eyes narrowing, and shakes his head. “No.” You smile, nodding, before muttering, “That’s the first time – that’s the first time I haven’t had a nightmare and shifted.” The warmth and joy in your chest hums through you, and he squeezes your shoulders comfortingly. Unfortunately, you hadn’t realized how close you were to his apartment building, and the two of you are forced to untangle yourselves and get out. Your eyes widen as you take in the city, the busy people, the cars honking, and the big buildings. Peter notices your excitement and his eyes narrow. “Have you… Never been to a city?” He asks, and you shake your head. “I haven’t left – I haven’t left the compound since I got there. Well, excluding the hospital, but…” You shrug.

He nods, slowly, and his brown eyes flicker down to your torso. “That looks good on you.” He smirks, and you look down and realize you’re still wearing his black hoodie from when he lay it on you. You begin to shrug out of it, but he shakes his head. “Keep it. C’mon, Aunt May is waiting.” You wave off the taxi driver, tugging the hoodie farther onto your body and picking up your bag. The two of you go up the elevator, into a hallway, and stop outside a door where Peter knocks. There’s the sound of something hitting the ground, quiet cursing, and then – “Peter!” A brunette woman says, instantly flinging her arms around her nephew. “Hey, Aunt May.” He says, hugging her back, and when she finally steps back her eyes flicker over to you. “You must be Y/N, right? Peter told me about you, and Mr. Stark, and the grant – his emails are always quite detailed.” She rambled, and you glance over to find Peter’s cheeks tinged pink.

“Well, don’t just stand there, Peter Benjamin Parker! Be a nice man and carry her bag inside!” She scolds, and you shake your head. “Oh, no, Mrs. Parker, he doesn’t have to –” As you reach for the bag Peter grabs it first, his powers and enhanced agility coming into play. You narrow your eyes playfully at him and he shrugs. “Oh, call me May! Everyone does.” She calls from the kitchen, and you smile, nodding. “Okay.” Your eyes dart around the room in wonder, at every photograph and trophy and book and everything that makes the room seem like a home. “I hope you like Chinese food, Y/N, as I cannot cook for the life of me – at least that’s what Peter says!” At this point he pokes his head out from his room. “I do not!” A small chuckle escapes your lips as you watch their family dynamic, a small pang of longing filling you as you watch how a real family functions. 

“That’s great, May. I love Chinese.” In fact, you’d practically grown up on it – you lived in a building with Steve, Tony, Bruce, and Thor most of the time. None of them ever cooked. You drop your shoulder bag off on the couch, heading into the kitchen. “Can I help?” You ask, voice small, and May turns from the paper bag of food to you. “Cutlery is in that drawer, glasses are in that cupboard.” She instructs, pointing at different locations to help you. You set out plates, chopsticks, glasses, water, and napkins, loving the feeling of contributing to something. At one point you realize Peter is standing in the archway, watching you and May work together with a smile on his face. 

Later, when everything is ready, you sit at the table with Peter and May as you all eat. Finally, when you’ve all wolfed down your food, there’s a comfortable silence that fills their small kitchen as you all sit back and chat. “So, Y/N – how did you come to know the big and famous Tony Stark?” May asks, and a small wave of panic washes over you. You don’t want to explain your horrible backstory, not here, not now, and you don’t want to make her scared of you by showing your powers. “Um, Tony knew my mom.” You say, the most realistic thing you can think of. Unfortunately, May doesn’t give up. “Knew?” She asks, and your eyes drift down to your plate. In the corner of your eye you catch Peter making a face at May, obviously hinting at her to stop, and you hear a small, “Oh – oh, honey, I’m sorry.” She says, but you look back up.

“No, no, it’s fine. You didn’t know.” She has an apologetic smile on her face, and she bites her lip. “What about your dad?” She asks, and Peter’s eyes widen. “May!” He warns, but you shake your head and place a hand on his arm. “He was a soldier. Didn’t know him well. He’s gone too.” You say, half explaining to May and half explaining to Peter. You almost smile at the similarity in their brown eyes, staring back at you with pity and empathy. “But I’m fine. Uh, Tony and Steve – Uh, Captain America – took me in.” You say, and May’s expression lights up. “Wow… Okay. We have a superhero in our midst.” She says, and both you and Peter tense up, bodies rigid. “Sorry?” You ask, and she shakes her head. “No, I meant, like, superstar. Celebrity.” She explains, and you nod, feeling Peter relax next to you and you do the same. 

“Alright, you kids, it’s time for you to get to bed. Peter, you have school in the morning – Y/N, you can have tomorrow off, if you’d like. Give you some time to settle in.” She smiles, and you nod. “Thank you.” You say, standing up and beginning to clear up. “I’ll take the day off! Show her around New York!” Peter cuts in, and May shakes her head. “Oh no, young man. You’ve already missed a week, I’m not explaining another few days to your teachers.” She states, jabbing her chopstick in his direction. “But, Aunt May –” He tries, and she folds her arms. “Off to bed, Peter.” He rolls his eyes, but does as told, heading into his room. “Y/N, you can either sleep on the couch, or on a sleeping bag in Peter’s room – and you can get changed in the office.” She says, pointing to the door next to Peter’s. You remember how well you slept in the car, how you didn’t have a nightmare or shift at all when you were close to Peter, and you half-mutter, “Sleeping bag would be great.” She nods, and waves you away, telling you that Peter will sort it out. 

When you go into his room you don’t knock, forgetting, and walk in on a shirtless Peter Parker. Your eyes widen, cheeks turning pink instantly. “Shit! Sorry!” You squeal, turning around and waiting for him to put on a shirt. He finally does, and tells you it’s okay for you to turn around again. “Sorry, again – Uh, May told me you could sort out the sleeping bag and stuff.” He chuckles, heading out to grab the stuff, before returning empty handed. “Uh… I don’t know where it is, and May’s gone to bed. Can you sleep on the couch?” He asks, and you find yourself shaking your head. “Can I sleep with you?” You ask, boldly, and then realize how brash that sounded. “I, uh, I meant can I sleep in your bed – I didn’t have nightmares before, and I prefer to be around people…” You try to explain, but he just nods. “Sure.” Your eyebrows shoot up. “Really?” He nods again, gesturing to your duffel bag on his floor. 

“You can get changed in here – I won’t look.” He says, climbing into his small bed and turning to face the wall. You begin to change, cheeks heated at your previous mishap but also at the idea of Peter turning around at any second. When you’re changed, you hesitantly climb in next to him – in order to fit, the two of you are pressed flush together, and you turn so that your body is facing the ceiling. He turns, mimicking you, so that the two of you are pressed side by side and staring at the ceiling. “Thank you… For everything.” You mutter, a small smile on your face as you recount everything that had happened since Peter arrived. “It was my pleasure.” He replies, leaving the two of you in comfortable silence once again. 

“Can I ask something?” He says, and although you’re a bit confused you reply, “Anything.” He waits for a few seconds, then suddenly – “What happened to you?” Peter says, and your eyebrows knit together. “Sorry?” You ask, voice quiet, and his tone softens and turns apologetic. “Look, if you don’t want to talk I get it.” He pauses. “It’s just, there was that video and those files, and then at dinner–” You cut him off. “No. I, uh, it’s fine. You deserve to know. I just… I’ve never had to explain it to anyone before.” You say, and you feel his hand reach over and take yours reassuringly. A moment passes, then two, before you finally open your mouth again to explain everything.

“I don’t expect you to know this, but there’s this organization – HYDRA. They, uh, they were founded around Steve’s time, back in the 40s – this Nazi/Elitist type group. Anyway, they were always trying to be the most powerful. They used to do – do experiments on people, to try and… And give them powers. Like, the Winter Soldier? And, uh, and Wanda?” You glance over to find that you can’t see Peter’s expression, but he hums, having heard all about both of those people. “Well… I said my dad was a soldier. He wasn’t really, but he did fight for HYDRA. He – He wanted to be in power, didn’t really care about my mom, or his family. He made a deal, when I was born, that they could take me once I was old enough to be experimented on – and in return, he’d get a position of power.” You pause, letting out a shaky breath as unwanted tears begin to well up in your eyes that are trained on the dark ceiling. You can’t look over at Peter.

“My mom didn’t know. She thought he was in the army. So, when I was… When I turned 8, and they showed up to take me… She, uh, put up one hell of a fight. Didn’t want to let me go. They, uh, they – they killed her to get to me. And, god, it was so easy. One minute she was standing in front of me, the next she wasn’t – she was lying on the floor, unmoving. They brought me to some… Some facility in Siberia, or somewhere like that. They were using types of energy to try and… Try and give me powers. Radiation, gamma rays, electricity. Small doses. They weren’t gonna let me die on them,” The first tear falls as flashbacks on the experiments popped up in your head. “Not until I’d given them some signs of powers. So, somehow, the combination of all of the energies worked, and now I can turn into – turn into people. I was 12 when the Avengers destroyed the base and took me in.” 

You finish the story quickly, hands darting up to wipe away errant tears. When you finally gather the strength to look over, Peter is still, almost rigid, like he’s – well, like he’s furious, although his tone is sorrowful and heavy. “God, Y/N… I’m so, so sorry. That – I can’t even –” You cuts him off. “Please don’t pity me.” You mutter, and you can feel him turn to look at you. “My whole life has been people pitying me, and I just – I just want to move on.” You say, your voice seemingly getting quieter by the second. “C’mere.” He says, and you shift your body so that you’re closer to him, and he wraps his arms around you, holding you close. “Okay.” He says, softly, and he kisses the crown of your head. “Okay.” He repeats, and you smile although no one can see you – a genuine smile, something you’ve been doing frequently since Peter arrived. “Thank you…” You breathe out, and the both of you fall asleep, entangled in each other’s warmth and comfort.


	5. Tackling Highschool.

When you wake up, the sun is just starting to peek through the white blinds on Peter’s window. Your eyes flutter open slowly, and you realize that you and Peter are wrapped around each other once more, fitting perfectly together. He groans slightly, pulling you closer to him as he shifts, and you smile as your eyes scan over his room. Old bits of circuitry, a few posters, his bookbag in the corner, and your duffel bag next to his. Slowly but surely, you reluctantly untangle yourself from his body and pad over to the corner of the room, grabbing a set of clothes and your toiletries and heading to the office to get changed. As you close the door, the only sound in the small apartment are Peter’s quiet snores that travel down the hall.

When you are finally ready for the day, you enter the kitchen to find May brewing some coffee and putting toast on a plate. “Good morning.” She greets, a cheeky smile on her lips. You narrow your eyes slightly, tugging your sleeves farther down your arms as you walk over to help. “Morning.” You reply, grabbing some mugs from the shelf and placing them on the table. “How’d you sleep?” She asks, that glint still in her eyes, and you warily reply “Well.”. She smirks, going to pour the coffee, and nods. “I came in to wake Peter up about a half hour ago, but you two looked so comfortable I figured I’d let you sleep in.” She says, and your eyes widen as your cheeks tinge pink. A small chuckle escapes her lips, and she shakes her head, brown strands ruffling.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Peter like this. He seems…” She pauses, eyes scanning your face for a reaction. “Genuinely happy.” She finishes, and you duck your head to stop yourself blushing more. You thank her, and she smiles, sliding a plate of toast over to you and filling your mug with coffee. “Now eat, you have a busy day ahead of you. I got a text from Tony-” Her eyes widen and she clears her throat. “From Mr. Stark, saying that you are going to school with Peter today.”

You chuckle slightly, eyes narrowing. “Are you and Tony…” Your voice has a questioning tone to it, and the way May blushes and looks away confirms your suspicions. “Oh my god you are!” You practically squeal, and she shushes you. “We’re only texting! Besides, you can’t talk – I’ve seen how you stare at Peter, and I know how much of a crush you have on him.” You pause. “What?” She smirks, shaking her head. “Did you think I wouldn’t notice? I mean, the way you two look at each other, and then there’s the fact you’re still wearing his hoodie…” She wiggles her eyebrows, just as something moves in the corner of your eye.

“What’re you guys talking about?” Peter slurs, rubbing his eyes as he enters the kitchen. Your eyes widen, dropping to your plate of toast and shoving a piece in your mouth. May notices, and chuckles, but looks up to Peter and greets him, adding, “Due to Mr. Stark’s request, Y/N here is going to school with you today!” You smile sheepishly, chewing on your toast as Peter comes to sit next to you. “Really?” He asks, and his tone of voice makes you frown slightly — he sounds almost disappointed. You nod, taking a sip of coffee, and May begins to explain.

“Mr. Stark wanted her to start school straight away — don’t worry, I think you’ll do just great.” She adds, placing a gentle hand on your arm, but Peter clears his throat quickly. “Don’t you think it’d be better for her to – well, have a day – a day off, first?” He stumbles over his words, nervous, and May shoots him a half-glare but shakes her head. “Mr. Stark said so, so that’s what we’re going to do.” He doesn’t say anything, just reaches for the toast and begins to eat. Your eyebrows furrow slightly at his reaction, but you try to ignore it and ask him about school. “So, um, what should I expect?” You ask, trying to sound cheery, and Peter glances up.

“Well… I mean, it’s hard to explain what school is like.” He shrugs, mouth full, and May rolls her eyes. “It’ll be fun. I take it you’re being homeschooled?” She asks, and you nod hesitantly. “Um… Something like that.” In truth, it wasn’t so much schooling as it was you parking yourself in the lab and demanding that Tony or Bruce explains what exactly they’re doing, or asking Steve to tell you about the 1940s and the war. Or having Thor explains Asgard. Really, your education was solely based on insanely complex theorems, World War Two timelines, Norse Mythology, and some martial arts from Clint – that and a basic understanding of Russian, courtesy of Natasha. 

After breakfast, Aunt May was eager to send the two of you off, lest Peter is late “for the 140th time in a row”, a comment that made him groan and you chuckle. The two of you walked to the train, and despite trying to uphold a conversation, Peter too tired, and you were too busy watching New York fly through the train windows to bother. The tall buildings and busy people were all so interesting, and before you know it, Peter and you are standing in front of his high school, which he has to practically guide you into as you are so in awe of everything happening around you.

Your eyes widen dramatically as the doors swing shut between you and Peter. So this is what high school is like. White hallway, bustling with students your age, and constant background chatter. Peter places his hands on your shoulders, steering you through the hall towards the row of lockers at the end. He parks you in front of a locker, opening it and pulling out textbooks. “So you have calculus first, and I’ve made sure we’re in the same class for everything. So we should be okay.” He says, and you finally speak your mind.

“Do you not want me here?” You blurt, arms coming to cross over your chest. He stops, turning to face you. “What?” He asks, and you shake your head. “Well, it really didn’t seem like you wanted me to come to school at breakfast, and now you seem like you’re trying to keep me out of sight.” You say, head tilted slightly. His brown eyes soften, the way you’ve grown so fond of in the past few days, and he sighs. “No, no – I didn’t mean it like that, Y/N. It’s just – I hate high school. I know this is new and exciting for you, but I’ve had some of my worst times here, and I didn’t want it to be like that for you.”

You blink, mouth parted slightly as you take everything in. “Oh.” Is all you manage, and Peter chuckles. “Hey.” A voice comes from behind you and you jump, wheeling around to be met with a girl your age, but tall, with dark skin and a really messy ponytail, a book clutched in her hand. “You’re new.” She states, and you nod. Peter sighs. “Michelle, Y/N – Y/N, Michelle. Y/N is my… Uh, my cousin.” He says, and though she raises an eyebrow she just nods. “Okay. Well, Pete’s cousin Y/N – you’re gonna be late on your first day.” She says, gesturing to the ceiling, and a second later the bell rings out. “See you.” She calls out, turning and walking away, and Peter groans, grabs your wrist, and whisks you away. Oh, crap.


	6. An Antidote.

As time passes, you become more accustomed to this whole ‘normal teenage kid’ life. School days fly by, and at night Peter teaches you the things you hadn’t understood in your classes – which are mostly things to do with math and science. Days have become a wonderfully normal routine: wake up, body curled into Peter; wander to the kitchen to get breakfast; tease May about her blush from texting Tony; inevitably rush to get dressed as you realize you’re running late; and get to class JUST as the bell rings. Some people might get bored of the same normal schedule over and over, but to you, NORMAL is exactly what you’ve been yearning for your whole life. 

“Guys! You’re late again!” May calls from the kitchen, causing you to roll over and chuckle at Peter’s disgruntled sleepy face. You slowly pull yourself up, yawning as you slide out of bed to grab your clothes. Unfortunately, you barely even stand up before Peter’s hand snakes out of bed and grabs your arm, tugging you back in. “Pete…” You groan, giggling, as you try to get out of bed. “We gotta go…” You try to convince him, twisting around, but he pulls you in tighter. “Nuh uh.” He mutters, and you sigh. “Fine. 5 minutes.” He smiles, leaning back, and a small smirk forms on your lips as you get an idea. You roll over, facing him, and let yourself shift into Tony, face only inches from Peter’s. When he finally opens his eyes, he squeals, shoving himself back and off the bed, and you laugh and turn back into yourself. “Good. You’re up.” You smile triumphantly, grabbing your clothes and marching triumphantly out of the room as Peter groans behind you. 

Standing in the bathroom, you start to put on your jeans when a pain blossoms in your stomach, causing you to groan and double over. When you stand up again, eyes wide, you look in the mirror to find your nose bleeding. But this is starting to get better! I shouldn’t be – You’re knocked out of your thoughts by the sound of May banging on the bathroom door. “Breakfast!” She calls, and you hastily wipe away the blood and try to get dressed. Once you’re dressed, the day commences as usual – you and Peter dance around May in the kitchen, grabbing pieces of fruit and toast before hurrying out of the door to get to school on time. “Y/N!” May calls, and you skid to a stop. “The office needed a last name for you, and I didn’t know what to put, so Tony told me to put Rogers. Is that right?” She asks, and a small smile spreads on your face. “That’s perfect.” 

When you finally make it to school, Peter darts off to grab a book from his locker, but you run straight for class. You manage to get to AP Physics just as the bell rings, and you sigh as you flop down into your desk next to Peter’s. “Mr. Parker… How kind of you to finally join us.” Your teacher, Mr. Simms, drawls, watching Peter stumble through the door at the last second. “Sorry, sir.” He says, making a face at you before going to sit down. Mr. Simms just raises an eyebrow, watching Peter sit down, before turning to the board and writing down ‘The partial differential equation that describes how the quantum state of a quantum system changes with time is…’ Your eyebrows furrow as you realize you recognize the topic – one of the perks of learning science from Tony is that you only learn the insanely advanced stuff. “Does anyone have any idea what this equation is?” Mr. Simms asks, and you hesitantly raise your hand.

“Ms. Rogers?” He says, eyebrows raising, and you gulp. “Uh, that’s Schrödinger’s equation, sir.” Out of the corner of your eye you catch everyone else in the class with confused expressions on their face, and you smile slightly. “Well, Ms. Rogers, would you mind writing it down for us?” He asks, holding out the chalk, and you nod, standing up and taking it from his hand. You write down all that you can remember, hand flying across the board as you write all the variants of the equation – the time dependent equation, the independent one, etc. When you’re done, you turn around to find everyone in the class staring at you with a shocked expression. You sit down, cheeks flushed, as Peter gapes at you. “How did you know that?” He whispers, leaning over to your desk, and you just shrug.

The rest of the day seems to fly by, but you can’t help but continue to feel super proud of yourself at your achievement. At lunch, Peter introduces you to his best friend, Ned, and they start babbling about where Peter was when he left and what happened, and you get lost in your train of thought – that is, until Michelle plops down next to you. “So, Peter’s cousin, huh?” She asks, and you manage to shake your head. “Uh, no, I’m not – he just didn’t know what to say.” You explain, and she quirks an eyebrow. “Good, because I was about to call incest on that one.” She nudges you and you splutter, eyes wide. “Excuse me?” You manage, and she chuckles. “Everyone can tell that you two are crushing on each other – if you guys had been cousins, that would have been a little weird.” 

You start denying it, but before you can say much Peter has caught Michelle’s attention. “What’re you talking about?” He asks, and she smirks, and gets up. “Talk to you later, okay Y/N?” She says, and leaves, leaving a baffled Peter in her wake. “What was that?” He asks again, and you shrug, a small blush leftover on your cheeks. “I’m gonna grab my books – see you in English?” Peter says, eyes flicking over to the clock, and you nod, clearing up your tray and heading to class. Not a few moments later, though, a sharp pain strikes your head, and you rush to the bathroom to find your nose bleeding again – only this time, the blood is a deep red, almost black, and it takes a few minutes for you to stop it. When you finally do, you let out a shaky breath, throwing away the soaked tissues and giving yourself a moment to recompose.

Luckily, when you finally look up, you’re still yourself in the mirror – not Tony, not Steve, not your mother. You brush a wisp of hair off your face, smooth your jacket, and leave, heading to English, where Michelle swoops in and sits next to you, causing you to smile. The lesson continues, then you have Math, then finally, it’s the end of the day. You head home with Peter, distracted by your thoughts of the nosebleeds, but try to convince him that everything is fine when he starts asking questions. He doesn’t seem at all convinced, but he leaves the topic, opting instead to interrogate you about how you knew the formula, and what other stuff you know.

When you get home, however, a familiar pair of voices float out into the hallway, and you freeze, a smile spreading on your face as Tony and Steve saunter out from the living room. You squeal, launching yourself at Steve first, then Tony, enveloping them in hugs. “Guys!” You shout, and Steve chuckles. “What’re you doing here?” You ask, and Tony smirks, pulling a small bottle out of his pocket. “I did it. One dosage of this should do it.” He says, and your eyes widen. “Is that – the serum?” You ask, and he nods, causing you to hug him again. Steve shushes you, though, as May walks out from the kitchen smiling. “Isn’t it nice they came to visit?” She says, and your eyes narrow as you take in her nice dress and Tony’s fancy suit. Steve notices your face and explains. “Tony is taking May out for dinner.” He explains, and Peter’s jaw drops.

“S-Sorry?” He asks, and you stifle a giggle, as Steve wraps an arm around you. “C’mon kids, let’s leave them to it.” He says, tugging you and Peter away, but just before Tony leaves he slips Steve the bottle, winking at you before escorting May out of the apartment. “It’s drinkable – no needles, luckily.” Steve explains, handing you the bottle, and you square your shoulders, grabbing it and holding it up to the light. “You sure this will work?” You ask, and he nods, so you uncap it and down the contents in one. It burns going down, like the one time Clint convinced you to drink Natasha’s vodka, but the second the burn is gone, you instantly feel better. When you turn to find Peter, he’s still gaping at the door, eyes wide. 

“Will someone please tell me why the hell Aunt May and Mr. Stark just went out on a DATE?”


	7. Bonding Time.

It takes a few moments for Peter to stop staring at the door after his Aunt and Tony, but once he does Steve begins to ask him questions about himself, and Peter loses himself in the awe of talking to Captain America. You sit on the sidelines watching in amusement while Peter gushes to your father figure, asking about the shield and the science behind it. Meanwhile, you get up and head into the kitchen, knowing full well that by the time Peter’s done fangirling he’s going to be hungry as hell, and Steve will want to order Chinese food – the only food he ever eats, due to the Avengers’ inability to cook. 

You call the Chinese place down the block, placing in Peter’s regular order, Steve’s, and then yours, thanking the waitress and quickly heading back into the living room – where Peter is still talking. You clear your throat loudly, eyebrows raised, and both men turn to you instantly. “Chinese food is on it’s way. I ordered, so you two are setting the table, ‘kay?” You state, and both of them nod, standing up and walking into the kitchen. Of course, the second you turn your back to grab the plates Peter is babbling again, asking about the science of being frozen for that long. Steve is very kind, answering to the best of his ability, but you catch Peter’s eye for long enough to send him a look of warning. 

It’s not that you’re annoyed or angry, you just know Steve well enough to know how little he likes to discuss what happened – losing his family and friends and everyone was obviously hard enough. “So, Y/N…” Steve starts, once the food has arrived and the three of you are starting to eat. “How’s school?” You send him a small glare, knowing he was the one who sent you to school, but answer nonetheless. “Good. Turns out there’s more to learn than just astrophysics.” You joke, and Steve chuckles lightly, shaking his head. “Yeah, well – don’t tell Tony that.” 

Dinner passes by strangely quickly, with Peter and Steve talking the entire time – it ranges from the shield, to Peter’s suit, to whether or not that coffee shop that Steve used to like is still in New York. “Speaking of-” You interject, once you’ve cleared the plates and cutlery. “Peter still hasn’t shown me around the city.” You state, giving him an accusing glare. “Hey! That’s not fair, you know May would have killed both of us if we skipped school.” Peter objects quickly, and you shrug, turning to Steve. “How about you show me around your old neighbourhood tomorrow – which is a Saturday –” you added pointedly, staring at Peter, “And then after that Peter can show me ‘modern’ New York?”

Steve looks like he’s about to reply when the front door opens, and Aunt May’s giggles fill the small apartment. Steve is immediately standing, his die-hard gentlemanliness still there, and you and Peter soon follow suit. “Pete!” May calls out, heading into the kitchen, followed by Tony, and it’s then that you notice the small lipstick print on his cheek. Your eyes widen, a hand coming up to your mouth to stifle a laugh. “Something wrong?” Tony asks, and when his brown eyes catch yours you tap your own cheek, and his face suddenly pinks, his hand darting up to smudge the stain. Thankfully Peter is too busy practically interrogating Aunt May to notice, and you walk over to Tony and lean against him.

“How was the date?” You chuckle, and he shoves you ever so slightly, but you can see the small sparkle in his eyes as he watches May and Peter talking. “It was very nice, thank you. Uh – Peter?” He calls out, and the teenager wheels around. “Mr. – Mr. Stark?” He replies, and Tony rolls his eyes slightly. “Tony, please – but anyway, how would you like to head up to Stark labs tomorrow? I can give you a tour, etc.” He hints at Peter’s suit, glancing over at May – who seems not to notice, “…and I have been reliably informed by your ever-so-lovely aunt that you’re free tomorrow.” He says, and Peter’s mouth practically drops. “R-Really? I’d love to. I mean, if you’re okay with it, of course.” You can almost hear Tony roll his eyes. “I asked you, so yes.” He retorts, and Peter nods his head vigorously. “C-Cool. Yeah.”

“That means you and I, little miss, have a date tomorrow.” Steve comments, hand wrapping around your shoulders and pulling you into him. You smile, nodding, and reach up and hug him. “Since I doubt you two are sleeping here, you should head out – it’s almost 11.” You say, glancing at the clock, and Tony rolls his eyes. “Yes, mother.” He jabs, giving May a small wink on his way out the door. You scoff, pushing his back out the door as the awkwardly bulky super soldier struggles to fit in the narrow doorway. “See you tomorrow!” You call in a sing-song voice, watching them disappear down the hallway.

When you turn around again, Peter has his hand on May’s shoulder and is staring at her face very seriously. “Where did you go?” “Italian place.” “What did you drink?” “Red wine.” “What did you and Mr. Stark–” At that point you cut in, saying “Enough!” and squeezing in between them to pull Peter away. “It’s 11 pm, you are going with Tony tomorrow, and I’m sure May is tired.” You negotiate, and although he looks reluctant to, Peter nods and trudges off to get ready. “May and Mr. Stark…” You hear him mutter incredulously as he goes into his room, and when you turn around to send May off to bed you find she’s already gone. “Well…” You mutter to an empty household, wiping a strand of hair away from your face and heading to bed, dreaming of the New York you’d seen in movies and pictures.

Steve had come to pick you up sometime around 8 am, and you discovered that Peter had already left, apparently ‘ran out the door’ according to May. Steve had ordered one of Stark Industry’s cars to drive you to ‘Ella’s Diner’, where he (and Bucky too, you suspect) had gone for coffee many times. Stepping into the diner is like going back in time – the bright red leather boots matched with the white tiled floors make the atmosphere that of how you imagined the forties, and when you look at Steve you can tell he’s thinking the same thing.

Once settled in at a booth, you place your orders of bacon, eggs, toast, and coffee, and it’s not long before you catch Steve’s amused stare. “What?” You ask, hand coming up to graze your cheek in case of a smudge or something, but he just shakes his head and laughs quietly. “So, you and Parker, huh?” He says. You breathe in sharply, raising an eyebrow as you feign confusion. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” You try, but Steve doesn’t seem convinced. “Well, his red hoodie, you two sharing a bed, the way he looks at you – I assumed the two of you are, well, fonduing.”

“STEVE!” You gasp, eyes wide as your cheeks quickly flush. He chuckles, blonde hair falling into his face. “I’m just stating the obvious. And it’s not like I’m the first to notice, am I?” He rationalizes, and you stare at the table, cheeks burning. “It’s not – We’re not fonduing. He doesn’t even like me. I mean, not that I like him, just, you know –” You babble, trying to explain the situation, but Steve gently places a hand on your shoulder. “Hey. It’s okay. I think the two of you are cute.” He comments, and you glance up through your eyelashes. 

“Really? Not that I care, because we’re not a thing, but really?” You ask, and he shakes his head, about to reply when the food arrives. The young waitress places down your food and coffee and turning to leave, but not before giving Steve a small wink as she turns away. Now it’s Steve’s turn to go pink. “So, about that –” You start. “How’s the love life, Cap’n?” You ask, and he gives you a playful look that conveys a forceful ‘Shut up.’ You raise your hands in surrender, rubbing them together as you look down at the pile of golden eggs on your plate. “These look delicious, Steve. How long have you been-”

Of course that’s when the explosion goes off outside, and you manage to send panicked look Steve’s way before the windows of the diner blow in, knocking both of you off the booth, 

and into unconsciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaah please don't kill me for the cliffhangers <3 i'm just too angsty to give people the satisfying endings they deserve, lmao. anyway, part 8 is on the way! i'm aiming for about 10/11 chapters? 
> 
> thank you so much for all the support this has gotten, both here and on tumblr. it makes my day to read your comments!


	8. New York.

The first thing you notice when you come to is the high pitched ringing in your ears. The second is the immediate worry for Steve’s well-being (the third is the overwhelming disappointment that you never got to eat your breakfast, but nevermind that). You groan, pushing yourself into a seated position, your hands coming into contact with sharp shards of glass, causing you to wince and pull them back. You blink furiously, letting your eyes refocus, and when they do you let out a sigh of relief. The only part of the diner destroyed was where you and Steve sat – a targeted attack, but at least no civilians were harmed. Christ, I sound like Steve, you think hastily standing up. When you do, you look out the window to find Steve standing on the pavement – slightly dusty but otherwise unharmed – with drawn together eyebrows and clenched fists. 

You make your way through the hole in the wall, out into the harsh sunlight, and Steve instantly rushes to your side. “I’m sorry I left you – I thought I could catch someone, but… Whoever did this is gone.” He sighs, blue eyes falling back on the pavement. When you follow his gaze, you find spray-painted letters spelling out, ‘NO MORE HEROES’. You frown, hand coming up to tug through your hair as the distant sound of sirens gets closer. 

“Any leads?” You ask, and he raises an eyebrow. “To whoever-” You start. “Yeah, I know that’s what you meant. I’m just surprised. A minute ago you were bombed, now you’re in detective mode.” He smiles, and you recognize a small glimmer of pride in his blue eyes, something that makes your heart swell. 

A blur of red catches your eye, and you turn to watch as Peter and Tony zoom in, fully-costumed, to land at the scene of the crime. Surprisingly, it’s Peter who lands first, rushing towards you and checking your dusty appearance and messy hair. “Are you okay? Mr. Stark got some kind of alert from Captain – uh, Steve. Or something. We came right away.” You raise your eyebrows. “Yeah… I’m fine. Just, you know, someone just tried to kill me, so there’s that.” You say, and though Peter nods, Tony pipes up behind him. 

“Wrong!” He says, his mask breaking apart and folding into his suit. “They weren’t trying to kill you. Or, they were really stupid. That type of bomb used couldn’t have killed you unless it was sitting in your pocket.” 

You narrow your eyes, glancing between Steve and Tony. “So… What was the point?” You ask, and Tony sighs, pointing at the graffiti on the pavement. “It was a declaration.” Peter states up, solemn voice slightly muddled from the mask, and Tony nods. “In any case, we need to go – there’s a news crew headed here right now.” He gestures at the helicopter in the sky, getting closer, and Steve pulls a protective arm around you as you put your hood up. “Meet you back at base.” He states, to Tony, who just nods and pulls Peter towards him before the two of them disappear, once again just red blurs in the sky.

By the time you get back to the base with Steve – something weirdly strange, as you’ve gotten so used to the Parker apartment – Tony and Peter are already in the lab, sampling scrap from the bomb and analyzing surveillance footage of outside the diner. You take a few moments to clean up, washing your face, re-tying your hair, and dusting off your clothes, before you join them again. You enter the room to find Natasha and Clint already there, and Clint greets you with a warm smile and a hug, followed by Nat pulling you into her arms a few seconds later. 

“Miss you, kid.” Clint says, and you smile. “So far…” Tony buts in, and you turn your attention to the screen. “We’ve figured out it was one person, leaving the graffiti while Spangles and Y/N were out of it. They dropped the bomb, ran off, and disappeared, probably into a building or an unsurveyed alley.” You watch the footage carefully, your and Steve’s silhouette in the diner window just barely visible. Steve is watching too, you realize, with a furrowed brow and a look in his eyes you can’t quite place. He turns to you, and it’s then that you place the look – it’s his ‘dad mode’. 

“Y/N, Peter, you guys should go and find something else to do.” You open your mouth to protest, but Peter gently grabs your shoulders and guides you out of the room. You huff, but decide against saying anything – you know you won’t be able to persuade any of them to let you stay. When Peter finally decides you’re far enough away (that is, when he’s steered you into your room and shut the door) he lets go of you and you flop on the bed. 

“Why are you so annoyed about this?” Peter asks you, a hint of amusement in his voice, and you sit up straight and looked him dead in the eye. “Someone set a bomb in the window of the booth I was sat in. Sure, it wasn’t meant to kill me, but it hurt. I want to know who. Why. How. I want to not be treated like I’m four years old!” You gush, vocalizing your inner thoughts from the entire day. Peter doesn’t say anything, just nods silently for a few seconds.

You barely noticed the door opening, but smile softly when Clint sticks his head in. “Hey, kiddo – uh, kiddos.” He corrects himself, eyes darting over to Peter. “Cap thinks it’d be best for you two to get back to New York. Says you need to get back to school, and a ‘normal life’.” He says, leaning against the door, and you nod in understanding – disgruntled that you have no say in the matter, but looking forwards to the idea of being back at the Parkers’ apartment. “I’m driving.” Clint adds, and you smile, following him out to the car. 

A little later, the car stops in between Manhattan and Queen, before the bridge you remember crossing to get to Peter’s apartment, and Clint turns in his seat to face the two of you. “Steve mentioned something about you wanting to see the city, and so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to give you two some time to sightsee.” He smirks, and you gasp, leaning forwards to hug him. 

“Thank you.” You mutter into his neck, sincerely, and he pats you on the back, letting you get out. “Parker? Make sure she’s back by 9.” He mocks a reprimanding tone, and Peter nods placing a gentle hand on your shoulder. “Sir yes sir.” Clint chuckles and drives away, leaving the two of you in the chilled air. “So, Parker… What’s there to do around here?” You ask, a giddy smile on your lips as you survey the skyscrapers around you and the bustling sidewalk. You catch him watching you with a smile on his face, and you nudge him softly.

“Okay… Well, we could look at the water from the Queensborough bridge? It’s not too far a walk from home, and there’s a great cafe on the corner on the way there, so if you… I mean, if you’re not too cold, that it, because if you are-” Peter begins to ramble, and you bite back a giggle, building up the courage and leaning forwards, pressing your lips to his. He freezes, entire body going rigid, before you pull back slightly. “Anything with you would be amazing.” You say, blushing furiously, and he nods, still dazed.

On the way to the cafe Peter slips his hand into yours, pulling you closer to him as you stroll down the avenue. By the time you’ve reached the cafe, and ordered ‘the best hot chocolate in Queens’ – according to Peter, anyway – the sun is setting, the light bouncing off the buildings and onto the water, painting the buildings orange and red. You walk to the bridge, standing and admiring the view for a while, before the sun sets and night falls – in the time you get to watch the buildings turn their lights on, making the cityscape glimmer like stars.

“I’m, uh, glad I met you.” You mutter, after a while, and Peter raises his eyebrows. “Yeah?” He asks, small smirk playing on his lips, and you nod. “I don’t know what would have happened if I hadn’t. I’d probably still be in the lab.” You say, and he seems to deflate, causing you to panic. “Not just that! I mean, anyone could have shown up and taken me out of the lab – but it was you, and now I think I like you, and-” He shakes his head, using your trick from earlier to shut you up by leaning in and pressing a kiss to your lips.

You giggle as he pulls away – a sound usually foreign to your lips, bringing the cup closer to your lips and taking a sip. “I’m glad you’re okay.” Peter manages, and you nudge him with your shoulder playfully. “I’m always okay.” You tease, knowing full well how many times you’d been in a hospital bed in the last few months, leaning into him as he wraps an arm around you. “So, we’ve seen the bridge and had the best hot chocolate, what do you want to do before-” He stops abruptly, and when you look up at his face his eyebrows are drawn together. “Pete?” You breathe, slightly panicked, as he tenses around you. “Something’s wrong.” He mutters, soft brown eyes hardening and darting around. You don’t know what good it’ll do, but you slowly shift your hand into a gun, fear washing over your body.

Peter inhales, sharply, and you frown, watching him stumble back. “Peter?” You ask, watching as his hand comes up to his neck and pulls away… a small dart. He frowns, eyes blinking as if trying to focus, when they look behind you and his face pales. “Y/N – look out-” He manages and you whip around, holding up your ‘gun’ and freezing at the sight of the man in front of you. “That won’t do you much use, Y/L/N, and I think we both know that.” You shake your head slowly, your eyes widening as a strangled sob escapes your mouth. “No. No…” You manage, trying to back up but only bumping into Peter. 

“Remember me?” The HYDRA doctor smirks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pls dont kill me


	9. Trapped.

The sight of the HYDRA scientist makes your body freeze in place, ice running through your veins, and your assured grip on your ‘gun’ starts to tremble. You can tell Peter recognizes him too – the way his hand comes up and holds your shoulder, partially steadying himself, partially comforting you, and when you glance back at him you can see the anger in his eyes. You start to shake your head, slowly, your jaw clenching. “What did you – How?” You manage, but your voice comes out strained.

He ignores your question. “I wouldn’t worry about your friend – Or whatever he is to you. Boyfriend? Room mate?” He teases, and you tremble more as you realize you were being watched the whole time. “Whatever he is, the serum in that dart only sedated him – partially. He won’t be climbing up walls anytime soon.” You feel Peter freeze behind you as well. HYDRA knows who he is. 

“What do you want?” You manage, only now catching sight of the eight men in black combat outfits flanking the scientist. He tsks, shaking his head as he steps closer to you and pushes your hand down, and to your dismay you find that you can’t make yourself step backwards or resist him. “I believe you can figure that one out yourself, my dear. I mean, we were making such progress, until those stupid –” He stops himself, but you can see the hatred and disgust painted on his face as he continues. “Until the Avengers took you away. I mean, three more sessions, and you would have been complete!” 

“Complete?” You ask, using the distraction to pull your hand back and grab Peter’s, giving you some semblance of calm. He smirks, and it makes you feel sick. “You were so close to being a perfect weapon. If we’d finished, that would have been a real gun that you’d just held up.” He reaches forwards and strokes a hand down your cheek, and you feel Peter lunge towards him from behind you.

The scientist chuckles, snapping his fingers, and two of the agents behind him step out of line and stalk towards Peter. Your eyes widen, and you whip around and try to defend him, but they pull him away and hold him tightly. In his drowsy state he can hardly fight back, but you can barely mask the panic painted on your face. “Let him go.” You demand, rage fueling you, and he rolls his eyes. “You can not make demands right now. It is rather I, who has the power over whether your friend lives through the night, who makes the demands.”

His words make your eyes well up, but you clench your fists. “So what? You take me back, complete me, turn me into a weapon?” He nods once. “That is, essentially, it. You come with us, willingly, and your spider-friend lives. And we call off the team currently distracting your Avengers.” You narrow your eyes, faltering. “What?” You manage, almost a whisper, and he laughs out loud. “You truly don’t know anything. Did you think that bomb this morning was a real attack? It’s a distraction.” He sighs, obviously pleased with himself, and then turns and nods at one of the agents abruptly. “We’re done here.” 

The man on Peter’s left kicks his knees in, causing him to drop, and whips out a gun in the blink of an eye. You jolt forwards, but two more of the men come and restrain you. “No!” You shout, and you can see Peter shaking his head. “No, don’t – Don’t. I’ll come with you.” He shakes his head harder. “Y/N, don’t go with-” The man presses the gun into his head harder. “I’ll go with you.” You turn to the scientist, who cocks an eyebrow. “Good choice. I’ll give you a minute – I’m not a complete monster.” He mocks, turning and signalling at a black van, hidden in the street. 

The men let go of the two of you, and you simultaneously run at each other. “You can’t do this.” Peter warns, his hands finding your arms and holding you in place. “I don’t have a choice.” You breathe out, enveloping him in a hug, before being tugged away abruptly by one of the men. “Find me.” You mouth, stumbling backwards, and before Peter knows it you’re gone.

He curses, staring blankly at the back of the van driving away, and manages to stand up – although his vision is blurry, and swaying, he forces himself to piece it together enough to reach his watch, the one Mr. Stark gave him, and call the man himself. “Pete, I gotta say –” He hears the man’s static-y voice, and breathes out in relief. “You have terrible timing.” The sounds of fighting fill the air, and Peter chokes on his words. “Y/N – they took her. HYDRA. They- I’ve been injected with- There was a scientist- They’re gone.” 

There’s a pause, and Peter’s heart drops, fearing the worst, before Tony replies. “Where are you?” His voice is dangerously low, and once Peter tells him the call ends. The boy feels the spot where the dart entered his neck and curses – if he’d been a little more alert, if he’d sensed them coming, maybe you’d still be there. Before he can beat himself up too much, a red and gold streak in the sky causes him to look up, trying to focus. “Kid, you okay?” He hears Tony as he lands, and Peter manages to nod. “We’ll find her.” Tony reassures, his mask coming down to reveal his face, but Peter can tell – the billionaire is trying to convince himself more than Peter.

The second you sit in the van, a needle is in your neck, and you barely have time to gasp before you fall unconscious. When you come to, your eyes are heavy, but you manage to open them enough in order to take in your surroundings – and when you do, your heart drops. It’s the exact same cell you’d had countless nightmares of. You’d screamed and kicked and fought when the soldiers had dragged you in here the first time, but now you have no energy. Shuffling, you scoot yourself into the corner, finding some comfort in the fact that you’re still in your own clothes.

When you peer around the cell, you lock eyes with a man – a soldier, probably – peering through the bars – who pulls back, coughing uncomfortably and turning so you can only see the back of his head. “Why did they need me to cooperate?” You ask, out loud, and you see the guard shift uncomfortably at hearing your voice. So you push on. “Why not just tranquilize me and throw me in the back? Why… Why threaten Peter?” He finally turns around, squinting his dark eyes at you. “Shut up.” He warns, and you raise a single eyebrow. “Or what? You can’t hurt me – then the experiments won’t work. So what’ll you do?” You throw back, and he clenches his jaw.

“Why?” You ask again and he shakes his head. “I’m not answering your questions.” You give him a look. “I’ll shut up if you answer me.” You can see his thought process, as he glances down the hall for other people, before he groans and turns back to you. “Ander says you have powers you don’t know about yet. Powers that could have wiped them out back there.” He states, voice low and quiet, but it’s enough to make your mind flash back to the video of the experiments, wondering what exactly your powers do. “Who’s Ander?” You ask, and the soldier looks like he’s about to scold you, when a cold voice comes from just outside the hallway. 

“I’d have thought you’d know my name by now.” The scientist’s voice comes from the doors, and the soldier straightens, turning to open the door for the scientist. You push yourself farther into the corner, knowing what it means for the scientist to come for you. “There is nowhere to go, Y/N. It is time.” He sighs, and you clench your jaw as two of the soldiers approach you, tugging you to your feet. “It is a shame, though. Your friend, Mr. Stark… I must applaud him.” You frown, turning to face him, and he smirks horribly. “The serum he made was working on you, it appears. Too bad you never got another dosage.” And at that, they tug you down the corridor, towards the lab.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me @ me: ok calm down edgelord.


	10. Rescue?

Steve is panicked and terrified. The rest of the team can tell, as they watch him sitting alone in the corner, his head hung low as he wrings his hands. It’s been three days since you were taken. Peter is restless, popping into the science lab to check for updates, flying around the city like crazy as he tries to distract himself. Tony isn’t eating – he’s locked himself in his lab, furiously running through CCTV cameras and any sort of tracking devices he could use to find you. Clint and Natasha have patrolled the streets of New York over a dozen times – Nat can tell that Clint is blaming himself, as every time they return empty handed he punches something and heads to the range to practice. Bruce is trying to keep the team alive – running around with food and drink to make people eat, checking up on Peter every so often, trying to stop Clint from breaking his knuckles.

They are all going insane, trying to find you, while the H.Y.D.R.A. scientists who ruined your life in the first place are trying to reverse the serum, the one thing keeping you alive and healthy. You might go insane, you realize, staring at the white ceiling of the laboratory, during one of the brief periods that they aren’t injecting you with something. According to the ‘doctor’, they began to give you powers before you were rescued – not just the shapeshifting, but some form of destruction - some form of energy manipulation. Apparently. They try you almost every hour. Injection, electric shocks, five minutes rest, then testing. They shock you until you feel like you can’t breathe, expecting the room to start to collapse or the table to flip. So far, all that’s happened is that your throat is raw from screaming and your lungs hurt from the effort of trying to breathe.

The worst part? This is exactly what you remembered from when you were a child. It hasn’t gotten any easier. “We need you awake.” A voice says, and you let your eyes flicker down from the ceiling towards the door, where a guard stands staring expectantly at you. “Just taser me and drag me away – that worked well enough for you last time.” Your retort is short, as your throat feels raw, but you watch the guard roll his eyes and approach the table, pulling your restraints off and dragging you off. You offer little resistance – what’s the point? – and they lead you to another big metal door. Only this one, you remember vividly.

“No.” You manage, your voice raw, as they push in the passcode. “No.” You manage again, more firmly, as the door swings open to reveal the dark testing room you can remember very clearly, from both your childhood and the video Tony found in the H.Y.D.R.A. files. They push you towards the chair, and you’re too weak to resist. They tie your arms down, and your ankles, and as much as you pull against the cuffs you can’t break them. The doctor approaches you, syringe in hand, and just before you can start to panic a guard bursts into the room. 

“Sir we’re – We’re under attack.” The doctor whips around, and a glimmer of hope blossoms in your stomach. He glances at you, as if trying to decide what to do, and you spit at him, defiance in your eyes. He drops the syringe on a table, turning and bringing two of the four guards with him. “No one comes in here, no one leaves. Understood?” He commands, and they all nod at once. Are they here? Did they find you? You ask yourself, just as a commotion is heard down the hall. The sound of something hitting the door causes the hope to strengthen, and you watch as the door is flung open to reveal Steve – his lip is bust open, his hair is mussed up from the helmet having been pulled off, but his eyes light up with victory when they see you.

But before you can rejoice, he falls forwards, taser wires sticking out of his back, and you try to lunge forwards. “No! Stop it, please!” You beg, watching him writhe on the ground, and when the electricity stops, he’s hauled to his feet by two of the guards. The doctor saunters in after him, placing the used taser on the table, and stands next to you. “Well, at least he tried.” He chuckles, his voice amused, and you jerk away from him when he touches your face. “Now that he’s here, we can have an audience, can’t we?” Steve tugs on the arms holding him, only for one of them to prod him with something that shocks him again, and he slumps to the ground. 

“I don’t know why you try – I mean, you’re not going to win, and now you’re going to watch us finish off the experiments. Won’t that be fun?” The doctor asks again, picking the syringe off the table and undoing your bonds, pulling you to your feet – you try to lunge out at him, but it’s pathetic, and he just sighs and holds the syringe to your neck. “I mean, what did you think was going to happen, sending ONE MAN after her?” At that, he turns to get a reply from Steve, and you’re both surprised to find Steve smiling as shouting can be heard from down the hall. “You really think I came alone?” He asks.

When the door bursts open, the doctor strengthens his grip on you, pushing the syringe all the way into your neck and pressing down on the handle. “NO!” You hear from the door, before an arrow flies past you and into his shoulder, causing him to drop you. You can feel whatever is now in your veins coursing through you, and you no longer have the strength to stay upright. Peter’s face appears above you, and he pulls off the mask to reveal his soft brown eyes – something you never thought you’d see again.

“Hold on. Hold on, okay?” Peter asks, shaking you slightly, and you smile. “I knew you’d find me.” You say, your vision blurring slightly. “No – come on, keep your eyes open. See? Everyone’s here, everyone’s-” “Pete. It’s okay.” You whisper, squeezing his hand, and he just shakes his head, unable to find the right words as your eyes close and you go limp. He lurches forwards, hand stretched under your nose, and slumps back in relief as he feels your breath. “She’s still breathing.” 

“Shit. Shit.” Tony mutters. “What? What is it?” Steve demands, struggling up from the ground, and grabbing the vial from the syringe. “It’s what was killing her in the first place. The serum to reverse the effects – my serum, it’s all gone. They’ve been pumping her with this stuff and I don’t–” Tony is interrupted by Steve, who’s voice now has a particular edge to it. “What can we do? How do we… How can we save her?” He asks, and Peter turns his attention away from the conversation and back towards your limp body. “Mr. Stark, can you make more?” He asks, and Tony nods. “We just have to get her back home.” 

\----

You almost laugh out loud when you wake up to the same ceiling you were confined to for so long, such a long time ago. Tony’s lab looks the same, and the steady hum of his machinery is comforting. When you try to sit up, though, you wince and fall back, your limbs feel like they’re on fire. “Hey – don’t do that.” Peter says, and you turn to find him sitting in a chair next to the makeshift bed. “Hey.” You say, voice croaky, and his hand finds yours and squeezes. “You didn’t hold on for me.” He mutters, and your cast your eyes around the room. “How long have I been out?” You ask, and the sound of the door opening causes you to turn around. 

“A day or two.” Tony replies, standing next to you. “How do you feel?” Before you can reply, JARVIS’ mechanical voice echoes out into the room. “Her vitals are good, all signs of the toxins are gone and–” Tony rolls his eyes. “Thank you, Jarv.” You chuckle. “Better. I – How long was I… You know.” You glance around, and Peter looks down at the ground. “A week. We tried to find you, but there was no trace. You just disappeared.” You nod, glancing at your feet, before turning back to Tony. “How’s Steve?” He rolls his eyes. “You were gone for a week and you’re – whatever, he’s fine. A little worn out, but fine. I’ll let him know you’re up–” 

As if on cue the door bursts open, and the rest of the team floods in. You smile as you look up at your family, answering their questions and offering Tony your arm so he can check your pulse, then letting Clint hug you, then Bruce offers you water and food, and slowly they all filter out to let you ‘get some rest’. Peter stands up to leave but your hand darts out, pulling him back. “Thanks for finding me.” You smile, and he leans down and kisses your forehead. “Anytime.”


	11. Recovery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the wait! I truly believed I'd already posted this ages ago! here's the final chapter!

 Your speedy recovery surprises pretty much everyone. The serum, created at an earlier stage by Tony, was redeveloped to work faster and hastily pumped into your bloodstream. Only a few weeks after being kidnapped by HYDRA, you were back on your feet and healthy again, your shifting powers under control and any signs of illness gone. The ‘destructive’ power the doctors had spoken of turned out to be electrokinesis - the manipulation of electrical energy. You haven’t harnessed this power yet, but it isn’t out of control - the most damage it’s done so far is given Steve an electric shock when he passed you the bowl of popcorn.

    Soon after you’d demonstrated just how healthy you were, Tony decided it would be a good idea to send you back to school, and live with Peter again. The team agreed, stating that you ‘should try to live as normal a life as possible’ - to which you shifted into Steve and mockingly repeated his words as a six foot tall super soldier, causing the room to erupt into laughter.

   You don’t complain about moving in with Peter or going back to school. In fact, you are delighted by the idea - as much as it was weird to admit, you missed being normal, even from your small taste of the lifestyle. Of course, _normal_ could be an overstatement - your boyfriend (a term made official by a quiet night and a few kisses on the roof of the Avengers tower) is a crime-fighting teenager who dresses in a red unitard, and you spend your free time trying to harness your shapeshifting and electrokinesis powers.

    But hey, it’s the closest to _normal_  you’ve ever been. 

* * *

    When you open your eyes, the first thought that hits you is the realization that it’s a Wednesday, and that you’ve forgotten to do your History essay on the Cold War. The second thought that hits you is not a thought - it’s the loud outburst of Aunt May pounding on the door. “PETER!” She shouts, and you shoot upright.

    You realize, at the same time as you dart out of bed, that there is a Peter-shaped space in his bed next to you… And an open window. So when you push open the ceiling tile to find his suit missing, you groan openly, your heart dropping. 

     “Uh, just a second May! I think he’s - in the _shower_!” You lie, running over to the (unused) mattress meant for you and storing it in the closet, grabbing your clothes from your drawer in the dresser and hastily dressing yourself, managing to check the clock before dashing into the kitchen. 7:15. Your bus leaves at 7:30. Peter had _better_ hurry. 

    May greets you warmly when you enter the kitchen, offering a mug for you to pour your coffee into as she pulls toast out from the toaster. “Did you sleep well?” She asks, glancing over her shoulder, and you nod. 

   “Yeah, thanks.” 

   She raises an eyebrow and hums. “That’s good – when I walked past to go to the bathroom last night, it didn’t seem like the two of you had enough room in that one bed.” You almost choke on your coffee, but before you’re able to sputter out an answer there’s a distinct _thump_  that comes from Peter’s room. 

     May just shakes her head, narrowing her eyes in the direction of his room, and you roll your eyes, running over and wrenching open the door to his room, and shoving yourself in. Only to find Peter, fumbling to get his mask off, his suit already undone down to his waist. 

   It takes you a moment to wrench your eyes away, but when you do, he’s managed to take off the mask. You grab the glass of water from his dresser and pour it on him, ignoring his splutter of objection.

     “I said you were in the shower!” You explain, and he nods, a sheepish look on his face that tells you he knows you’re angry. 

   “Also, for the love of _God_ , you have to stop leaving in the middle of the night. I swear, one day she’s just going to barge in to find you gone, and what if you just don’t come back? What if something happens, and none of us know where you-” You’re shut up by a quick kiss, as Peter moves around you to grab his jeans. 

   “I’m sorry, I just heard a gunshot and then there was a chase and it happened so fast.” He replies, putting on his jeans, and you roll your eyes. 

   “One of these days, a kiss isn’t going to be enough, Parker.” You comment, backing up towards the door and stepping back outside. “He’s fine! He’ll be out in a minute.” You call out to May, leaning your head against the door and sighing.

* * *

    Later that day, you find yourself sat at the lunch table with Michelle, going over the syllabus for the upcoming Biology test. 

   “Wait, so I was _wrong_?” You groan as Michelle nods, placing your forehead down onto your open textbook. “I’m gonna fail Biology…” You mutter, and she scoffs. 

   “If you _do_  it’ll be an insult to me. It’s not _that_ hard. Okay… What’s the difference between meiosis and mitosis?” Just as you’re about to groan again, your phone starts to ring in your pocket. “Saved by the bell, Y/N.” She jokes, motioning for you to take the call as you stand up and leave the cafeteria. 

     “Hello?”

     “Hey, kiddo.” Your eyes widen and a grin spreads on your face. 

     “Steve! It’s been ages! What’s up?” You ask, and there’s a short pause, a grunt, and then-

     “Look, I know we-” Another grunt, the sound of metal hitting something. “We said we were gonna need you to stay normal and at school for a while, but here’s the - Yes, I _know_ , Barton, of course I’m an adequate parent, how could you- Stark’s throwing this celebration thing, and we believe you and Parker might want to come, so-” Another clash of metal of metal, so loud you almost drop your phone.

   “Look, can you be ready to be picked up after school by one of Stark’s cars? He’s already- Shut up Barton! - He’s already called Miss Parker about you’re ‘afterschool activity’.”

    “Definitely.” You say, smiling as Clint’s voice comes on in the background. 

   “Wear something nice! Both you and your boyfriend! Not too nice, don’t upstage-” He gets cut off, and you chuckle when Steve comes on again.

   “Barton, eyes on the enemy. I look forwards to seeing you, kiddo.” Steve says, and you smile and nod.

   “Me too. Love you.” You say, and the call ends.

* * *

    For some ungodly reason, Natasha actually had a dress she could lend you, in your size. It’s black, and conservative by Nat’s standards, but you love it. Peter has a suit from some formal event, and the two of you make quite the pair. The ‘celebration’ of Tony’s turns out to be for your birthday - an event you’d forgotten about, as it had passed while you’d been captive.

    Steve claps Peter on the back, nearly sending him sprawling, and you giggle as he warns him to take good care of you - then, Steve reveals that you’ll see his gift (a collaboration with Tony, of all things) later. You engulf Clint in a stifling hug after he gives you a carved wooden totem, made by him from the wood on his farm to resemble a wolf. Thor’s surprise for you is an _actual Asgardian bracelet_  that can supposedly protect the wearer from harm. Once you finally shut your gaping mouth, you jump up and wrap your arms around him, thanking him over and over again. 

    Natasha reveals the reason she could lend you a dress that perfectly fits you is that it’s your gift, and at this point, you almost start to cry. Your final gift, a collaboration of Steve, Bruce, and Tony, is your very own supersuit. You have to force yourself not to cry at the gesture. 

    The suit is your favorite color, with Steve’s star in the middle of the chest and a form of Natasha’s cuffs built in on the ends of the sleeves. There’s a hood with a built in mask, for secret identity’s sake, and silver stripes that lead down from the shoulders to the sides of the suit, outlining it. It’s beautiful, and you can’t help but throw yourself at the group and bear hug all of them, one at a time. 

    Peter’s gift is a small gesture, the final gift of the night, given to you at the very end when the two of you are about to fall asleep after being dropped back off at the apartment. It’s a framed photo of the team, taken a few days after you’d fully recovered, bright smiles on everyone’s faces - and as you notice, only after staring at it for a few seconds, every single person is in some way gathered around _you_. 

   Clint and Nat collaborate to make bunny ears above you, Thor and Bruce are pointing at you with dumb faces, Steve and Tony stand behind you like proud parents, each with a hand on your shoulder, and Peter is caught planting a kiss on your cheek.

    The photo makes you smile with fondness, and you place it right next to the bed, still smiling at the smiling faces of your family long after Peter falls asleep curled around you, keeping you safe.

And just like that, you know you’ve found your home.


	12. AUTHOR'S NOTE.

Hello all!

Hope you've enjoyed this story, I know I've enjoyed writing it!

As of the 30th of June, 2018, I'm going through and editing this piece. It will remain up as I edit, but chapter by chapter I'll replace it with the edited versions. (I wrote this piece a year ago, and I'd like to think my writing has gotten a hell of a lot better since then.)

It may or may not make an appearance on Wattpad (replacing the reader with a character) at some point in the future, but for now, I'll be going through and editing (and possibly even re-writing some of) this work.

If you're attached to the vaguely awful writing and unedited version, it will be left as-is on my writing Tumblr. 

[Here's the first part!!](http://imaginingthefandoms.tumblr.com/post/152217423883/shifter)

Thanks so so much for your continual support, comments and kudos make my day. 

-Lily


End file.
